Amy Jayasuriya
Editor-in-Chief
After almost a year since her debut album What a Devastating Turn of Events was released, Rachel Chinouriri has slowly but surely been on the rise to indie pop super stardom. Since the release of her album Chinouriri has secured two Brits nominations, one for Best New Artist and another for Artist of the Year. She has also officially begun touring as Sabrina Carpenter’s opener on the Short N’ Sweet arena tour after having to drop out as Remi Wolf’s original opener on her tour due to financial reasons. To follow up her successful debut, Chinouriri just released a short four song EP entitled Little House, which was released on April 4.
While A Devastating Turn of Events was filled with melancholy melodies and lyrics that fixate on a toxic relationship she seemingly can’t let go of, Chinouriri’s newest EP introduces her listeners to a new era and a new relationship. In the EP’s first song the singer excitedly sings about her new love interest on the adorably upbeat song “Can we talk about Isaac,” which could easily fit into any falling in love montage scene in a coming-of-age movie.
The song has an infectious springy guitar which carries you through Chinouriri’s fairy tale love story, as she boldly leaves the toxicity of her past relationships in the gutter, instead, embracing a new lover that “throws their arms around [her] in the August blue horizons.”
The upbeat melody is reminiscent of the infectious lead single off of her debut album, “Never Needed Me,” which she followed up with a music video including the actress Florence Pugh. While the guitar is more subdued in “Can we talk about Isaac,” Chinouriri’s vocals are the true standout on this single, as her breathy delivery becomes louder and louder after each chorus, reminding you just how excited and in love she really is.
Chinouriri’s affinity for the pop rock sound is reminiscent of other main pop acts as of right now, mainly artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, whose songs “Love is Embarrassing” and “So American” off of her second album Guts, share distinct similarities to Chinouriri’s sound and writing style.
The EP itself is entirely dedicated to her new blossoming relationship as Chinouriri has said in a statement to Genius, “I wrote this EP about my dreams of having a little house with my future partner and my dreams of having lots of land, a small house and having animals and I had this dream about living alone and that is something I’ve wanted to achieve since I was a child.”
A stark cry away from the opening track of her last album, “Garden of Eden,” where Chinouriri laments about feeling a strong sense of alienation from her community and a neighborhood she’s seemingly outgrown, this EP signals a rise in Chinouriri’s independence as she is now beginning to build the “little house” for herself that she’s always desired. As someone who regularly listens to “Garden of Eden” on any plane ride home, Chinouriri’s newfound attitude is comforting if not hopeful.
The EP continues its upbeat infectious sound with the track 23:42 which is seemingly another love song dedicated to the proverbial Isaac. The song evokes all the first relationship jitters, of being constantly nervous and acting too polite and feeling like an idiot at any given second. The chorus is undeniably sweet as Chinouriri softly sings, “If you wanted my attention/I’m all in no hesitation.” The song is a bit more stripped back than its predecessor but carries the themes of love and burgeoning feelings in an authentic way.
However, the mood takes a sharp twist on the track “Judas,” a demo from her first album. Standing in direct contrast to the constant declarations of love on the previous two tracks, “Judas” returns to the more contemplative themes Chinouriri explored on What a Devastating Turn of Events.
The song returns to the garden motif introduced in her last album with “Garden of Eden” as Chinouriri melancholically sings, “In the garden/In the dead of night/When you kissed me I tasted Scarlett/I’m too young to die.” The song mixes together the danger of Chinouriri’s past relationship along with her fear of death. The song is stripped back with a delicate acoustic guitar as Chinouriri’s emotional vocals haunt the track. The song is emotionally jarring as the singer goes from loud declarations of love to a quiet introspection on death, and the song feels like walking back home alone after a night out.
The EP ends on the similarly stripped back song “Indigo,” which balances the more melancholic themes of the previous song with the newfound happiness Chinouriri has found in her relationship. Feeling insecure in her relationship, Chinouriri asks her partner, “Don’t believe in fate, so how was I to know you’d wait?/Why would you wait for me?”
Little House just further cements Chinouriri’s place as an up and coming star in the indie music scene. With her unique vocals and talented songwriting skills, I have loved following every minute of her career. I can only hope to see her further blossom in the future.
Photo Courtest of lastfm
